Getty Images Former Browns head coach Hue Jackson.
Hue Jackson has once again come out of the woodwork with disparaging comments about the Cleveland Browns, suggesting he was paid by ownership to tank.
The accusation from Jackson comes in wake of former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores alleging owner Stephen Ross offered to give him $100,000 for each loss during the 2019 season with Miami looking to improve its draft position.
Jackson took to Twitter to tack on his thoughts on the story, responding to a tweet that said: “Jimmy Haslam wasn’t offering 100k per loss or Hue would be on the Forbes list.”
Jackson responded, saying, “Trust me it was a good number!”
@ericj_d Trust me it was a good number!
“It won’t stay hidden much longer. It can’t,” Jackson continued in another tweet. “What’s crazy is I tried to tell you all yet you didn’t want to listen because of all the losing involved.”
Kimberly Diemert, who is the executive director of the Hue Jackson Foundation, backed up his claims on social media.
Browns Respond to Claim From Hue Jackson
Quite frankly, the explanation doesn’t seem that out there considering Jackson went 3-36-1 over three seasons in Cleveland, including a 0-16 stint in 2017. While many pointed out that perhaps Jackson just wasn’t a good coach, the former Browns head coach — who now is the skipper at Grambling State — continued to defend himself on social media.
“It’s interesting that people become losers for telling the truth. I’m suppose to go hide and be quiet? NO!” Jackson wrote. “Its dead wrong what happens to minority coaches. Where suppose to take it and shut up? Not anymore. ENOUGH!”
A spokesperson for the Browns responded to the charge from Jackson, calling it “completely fabricated” and said that “any accusation that any member of our organization was incentivized to deliberately lose games is categorically false,” per ESPN’s Jake Trotter.
Jackson texted Trotter with a statement on the situation, saying: “It’s time to take a stand. What I want is what Brian (Flores) wants which is for this BS to change for black coaches. I lived this same crap.”
Jackson could join the suit from Flores, per Yahoo Sports, who cited two sources close to Jackson that said he has made arrangements to speak with Flores’ attorneys about the suit.
Jackson Has Fired Away at Browns Previously
Jackson has been salty about his Browns tenure since the minute he got fired, even joining the Bengals staff after being let go. This is not the first time he’s hinted at things going on behind the scene during his stint in Cleveland.
“Just get tired of the BS sometimes,” Jackson said in a tweet last year that he later deleted. “People have no clue. If they would use their brains maybe they would have a better idea of what really went on in Cleveland. Soon enough they will have to account for all of this. Wonder what excuses people will make for then.”
Jackson said his issues stemmed from a contract extension that he was offered but was never made public. He called himself the fall guy for the Browns misfortune.
“I got a contract extension at 1-23, midway through the season,” Jackson said. “I wanted to go public with it, but the Browns didn’t. … There’s no doubt I was lied to by ownership and leadership of the team. They were going to be football plus analytics, but it was football vs. analytics.”
Jackson has also had his issues with Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and said he was going to publish a book on his time in Cleveland.